JPH07123969A - Production of alcoholic drink - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an alcoholic drink reduced in amino acid concentration through such processes that a fluidized bed-type reactor having both fluid circulating pipe and exhaust vent is packed with an immobilized enzyme followed by feeding the 10 reactor with a brewing feedstock liquor and conducting a culture while drawing the culture fluid via the top of the reactor and returning it to the lower part of the reactor. CONSTITUTION:A fluidized bed-type reactor 4 equipped with a fluid circulating pipe, gas exhaust vent 6, thermosensor 5 and pH sensor 3, etc., is packed with an immobilized yeast with a beer yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae IAM4206 (ATCC 9080) immobilized on a carrier like chitosan beads, and this reactor 4 is fed, from a malt juice tank 1, with a brewing feedstock liquor adjusted to 11wt.% in raw malt juice extract level through a pump 2, part of the culture fluid is drawn via the top of the reactor 4 and returned, via the lower part of the reactor, into the reactor 4, thus conducting a culture while forming a circulating flow and obtaining the objective drink with good flavor, reduced in amino acid concentration because most of the carbon dioxide produced can be discharged via the gas exhaust vent 6 out of the system and the amino acid in the brewing feedstock liquor can be assimilated efficiently.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for producing alcoholic beverages,
More particularly, it relates to a method for facilitating the discharge of carbon dioxide gas produced during fermentation, promoting the uptake of amino acids in raw materials by yeast, and rapidly producing alcoholic beverages having a stable flavor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of producing liquor such as beer and wine, yeast generally consumes carbon and nitrogen sources in a brewing raw material liquid to produce ethyl alcohol. Technology for immobilizing yeast, for example, technology for embedding yeast in hydrous gel and immobilizing it has been developed, and then a method for producing beer by continuous brewing of wort has been proposed (J.Inst. Brew. , 84, 228 (1981) .Because yeast can be used at a high concentration, the brewing period can be greatly shortened.However, packed yeast is packed in a packed bed reactor and liquor such as beer is added. The following problems arise in the production of Lactobacillus due to the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation: High levels of dissolved carbon dioxide affect the metabolic physiology of yeasts. The contact area with liquid is reduced The gel particles are deformed by the pressure of carbon dioxide gas, which promotes the adhesion of particles to each other and blocks the flow paths of gas and liquid, resulting in non-uniform flow.

In order to solve such a problem, a method of pressurizing carbon dioxide gas produced in a packed bed reactor to dissolve it in a liquid has been tried (EBC Congress, Proc., 5).
05 (1981)), but this method does not eliminate the effect on the metabolic physiology of yeast. By the way, the bioreactors used for fermentation are roughly classified into three types, that is, a stirred tank reactor, a packed bed reactor and a fluidized bed reactor, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. (Rational design and optimal operation of bioreactor, 151 (1986) Technical Information Center). Among these reactors, stirred tank type reactors and fluidized bed type reactors have a high carbon dioxide emission effect. Above all,
The fluidized bed reactor is used for alcohol fermentation because it is characterized by easy temperature and pH control, good mass transfer characteristics, and low pressure loss of immobilized yeast.

In alcohol fermentation using a fluidized bed reactor, a method has been proposed in which an inert gas is introduced from the lower part of the reactor in order to fluidize the immobilized yeast and to improve the discharge of carbon dioxide gas ( Chem. Eng. Sci., 19,215 (1964))
However, it is not practical because it costs a lot to collect the gas. Further, the method using mechanical stirring has a fatal drawback that the immobilized yeast is destroyed. Furthermore, when the packed bed reactor is filled with immobilized yeast and fermentation is carried out, the incorporation of amino acids in the raw material by the yeast is low, the amino acid concentration of the resulting fermentation liquor is high, and there is a problem with flavor.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide an efficient method for producing alcoholic beverages using immobilized yeast. In the present invention, instead of the method of introducing the inert gas from the lower part of the reactor, a method of circulating the liquid to flow the immobilized yeast is adopted.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a fluidized bed reactor equipped with a liquid circulation pipe and a gas exhaust port is filled with immobilized yeast, and the brewing raw material liquid is supplied to the reactor. The method for producing alcoholic beverages is characterized in that a part of the culture solution is withdrawn from the upper part of the above, and the culture solution is returned from the lower part of the reactor to the inside of the reactor to form a circulation flow for cultivation. Further, the present invention relates to a method for continuously producing liquor by supplying a brewing raw material liquid to a reactor and extracting a part of the culture liquid to the outside of the reactor during the culture by the above method.

In the present invention, liquor is produced using the fluidized bed reactor shown in FIG. In this reactor, a part of the fermentation broth is forcibly circulated to facilitate the discharge of the carbon dioxide gas produced. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the fermentation liquor in the reactor is drawn from the upper part and introduced into the lower part through a pipe to flow the fermentation liquor. Therefore, the carbon dioxide gas produced during fermentation is discharged from the reactor through the gas exhaust port without being dissolved in the liquid. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the influence of carbon dioxide on the metabolic activity of yeast.

As the brewing raw material liquid, any liquid suitable for the growth of liquor yeast such as brewer's yeast, wine yeast, sake yeast, etc. may be used, and any known liquid may be used.
Usually, wort, fruit juice, sugar solution, saccharified cereal solution, etc. are used alone or in an appropriate mixture. In addition, appropriate nutrients and the like can be added if necessary. The brewing raw material liquid is sterilized by a conventional method and then supplied to a fluidized bed reactor filled with immobilized yeast, and the supply amount thereof is space velocity 0.0.
It is set to 5 to 0.2 hr ^-1 , preferably 0.1 to 0.2 hr ^-1 .
Here, the space velocity is obtained by multiplying the liquid amount of the brewing raw material liquid supplied to the fluidized bed reactor per unit time by the amount of the immobilized carrier carrying yeast. The filling amount of the immobilized carrier carrying yeast is 5 to 50% by volume, preferably 10 to 30% by volume, based on the reactor volume. Further, the brewing raw material liquid can be introduced from an appropriate position such as the upper part or the lower part of the reactor.

Next, as yeasts used for the production of alcoholic beverages,
So-called liquor yeast, which metabolizes the brewing raw material liquid to produce alcohol, carbon dioxide and the like, is used, and specific examples thereof include Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces ubalm. Alcoholic yeasts such as brewer's yeast, wine yeast and sake yeast may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose of use and the like. For example, Saccharomyces cerevisiae OC-2, Saccharomyces cerevisiae KY-1, Saccharomyces cerevisiae KY-3, Saccharomyces. Cerevisiae KY-
There are 4 etc. These yeasts are generally well known and can be easily obtained.

These yeasts are generally facultative anaerobic. Various carriers can be used as a carrier for supporting yeast, but chitosan beads, alginic acid beads, carrageenan beads and the like are particularly preferable, and beads such as ceramics and glass are weak against abrasion, and thus the present invention Is not suitable as a carrier. Immobilization of yeast is known per se, and the known method may be used in the present invention.

Next, the fermentation conditions are basically the same as the known conditions. The fermentation temperature is, for example, usually 15 ° C or lower, preferably 8 to 10 ° C in the case of beer brewing, and is usually around 20 ° C, preferably 1 in the case of wine brewing.
5 to 20 ° C is suitable. Further, the circulation speed of the fermentation liquor circulated during fermentation is, for example, 150 to 400 ml, preferably 200 to 400 ml per minute in the case of a reactor having a volume of 1 liter.
250 ml is suitable. When fermentation is carried out under such conditions, the fermented liquid is in a state close to perfect mixing, and fermentation can be carried out efficiently.

As described above, since the fluidized bed reactor used in the present invention has good mass transfer characteristics, amino acids and the like contained in the brewing raw material liquid are taken up by yeast and assimilated in the fermentation process. . Therefore, the amino acid concentration in the liquor product is lower than that obtained by the conventional method, and the flavor is good. The method of the present invention can be used for the production of beer as well as other liquors such as wine and sake.

[0013]

EXAMPLES The present invention will now be described with reference to examples. Example 1 Beer yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae IAM4206 (ATCC
9080))-immobilized carrier (chitosan beads) was filled in a fluidized bed reactor of 1 liter capacity in an amount of 250 ml, and wort adjusted to 11% Plato raw wort extract was placed in the reactor for 750 m.
1 was introduced, the circulation rate of the fermentation broth in the reactor was set to 250 ml / min, and batch fermentation was performed at 11 ° C.

2.5% Plating of the temporary extract of the fermentation liquid in the reactor
o When (19 hours after the start of fermentation), wort was passed through the lower part of the reactor at a rate of 40 ml / hour, and the same amount of fermented liquid was withdrawn from the upper part of the reactor, and continuous fermentation was started under a circulating flow. did. The result is shown in FIG. As is clear from the figure, the pseudo extract was stable at 2.5% Plato during the fermentation period. In addition, the measured value of the amino acid concentration in the fermentation broth is the first
Shown in the table. According to the method of the present invention, since the amino acid is taken up and assimilated by yeast, the amino acid concentration in the fermentation broth is lower than that of the comparative example or the control method.

[0015]

[Table 1]

Comparative Example 1 Using a packed reactor having a capacity of 500 ml, 160 ml of chitosan beads on which brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae IAM4206 (ATCC9080)) was immobilized was filled and fermented at 11 ° C. to obtain pseudo extract 2. A fermentation broth of 0.5% Plato was obtained. In this case, the carbon dioxide gas produced during fermentation stagnated in the reactor and liquid drift occurred. Further, as shown in Table 1, the amino acid concentration in the fermentation broth is high because the amino acid uptake by the yeast is insufficient. The amino acid concentration in the fermentation broth (pseudo extract 2.5% Plato) when fermentation was carried out by a conventional method using free yeast without immobilization is shown for reference.

Example 2 A carrier (chitosan beads) on which wine yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae OC-2, Japan Brewing Society) was immobilized was filled in a fluidized bed reactor having a volume of 1 liter in an amount of 250 ml, and the sugar content was adjusted to 22% Plato. 750 ml of wort in the reactor
After the introduction, the circulation rate of the fermentation liquid in the reactor was set to 250 ml / min, and batch fermentation was performed at 20 ° C.

The temporary extract of the fermentation liquid in the reactor is 4.0% Plat
o When (40 hours after the start of fermentation), 18 ml / hour of grape juice was passed from the lower part of the reactor and the same amount of fermented liquid was withdrawn from the upper part of the reactor, and continuous fermentation was started under a circulating flow. did. As a result, it was possible to carry out stable fermentation for 500 hours to brew wine.

[0019]

According to the present invention, when producing alcoholic beverages,
While using a fluidized bed reactor filled with immobilized yeast,
Since the immobilized yeast is made to flow by circulating the fermentation liquid in the reactor, most of the produced carbon dioxide gas can be discharged to the outside of the system without being dissolved in the liquid. Moreover,
Since the amino acid in the brewing raw material liquid is efficiently assimilated by yeast, the amino acid concentration in the alcoholic beverage product is lower than that in the conventional method, and the flavor is good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a fluidized bed reactor used in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the temporal change of the pseudo extract during continuous fermentation of Example 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) Wort tank (2) Pump (3) pH sensor (4) Fluidized bed reactor (5) Temperature sensor (6) Gas exhaust port (7) Product tank

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication (C12C 11/00 C12R 1: 865) (C12G 1/02 C12R 1: 865) (C12N 1/18 C12R 1: 865)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A fluidized bed reactor equipped with a liquid circulation pipe and a gas exhaust port is filled with immobilized yeast, the brewing raw material liquid is supplied to the reactor, and a part of the culture liquid is fed from the upper part of the reactor. Is extracted and the culture solution is returned from the lower part of the reactor to the inside of the reactor to carry out the culture while forming a circulation flow. 2. A method for continuously producing liquor by supplying a brewing raw material liquid to a reactor and withdrawing a part of the culture liquid out of the reactor during the culture according to the method of claim 1. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reactor is equipped with a pH sensor and a temperature sensor. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the immobilized yeast is liquor yeast supported on a carrier selected from chitosan, alginic acid and carrageenan.